Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Submitted by sydsmama

"I make this often in the summer. Great for potlucks! Prep time includes 2 hour refrigeration time."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 25mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• Salad

• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1⁄2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 (2 1/4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives, rinsed and drained
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• fresh basil leaves (optional) or parsley sprig, for garnish (optional)

• Dressing

• 1 (1 ounce) packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar

directions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
2. Mix orzo, bell pepper, cheese, olives and chopped fresh basil in a large bowl. (If using dried basil, add to dressing.).
3. Whisk together salad dressing & seasoning mix, oil, vinegar and sugar.
4. Stir dressing into orzo mixture.
5. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
6. Garnish with basil leaves before serving, if desired.

Reviews

[Lisa in Acworth, GA]

Delish! Made some shrimp sautéed in garlic and olive oil and served over top. Doubled the feta as well. Thanks so much for sharing a great recipe!

 

[JustAFriendlySoul]

Discovered this same recipe in a cookbook several years ago and I've been making to rave reviews ever since. We recently moved and I can't find the cookbook (it's my favorite) so I'm grateful to "sydsmama" for posting it here. I've always made it exactly per the instructions (no substitutions) and it tastes delicious every single time. Occasionally, I may sneak some extra feta into it b/c we love feta but it's just perfect "as is". It usually disappears in less than a day or two in our household so I often have to make double and triple the recipe to keep an ample supply on hand - it's THAT good!

 

[JackieOhNo!]

This made the perfect lunch and couldn't have been easier. I used a garlic and herb-flavored feta. Will definitely make again!

 

[Caroline Cooks]

Oh, is this delicious! Made for dinner tonight; just refrigerated it will be in the fridge about 4 hours in the fridge. Tasted it right away! YUM! ...will be awesome in 4 hours! Used green olives in place of the ripe olives. Thank you for a winner! Made for CameraLess Chefs in Cooking Photos.